Through the Lens of a Dad

I read something in Luke 6 that I had not noticed before. In verses 12-16, Jesus called his disciples and chose twelve from among them to be sent out, or to be apostles. From those twelve, there are two who would have been diametrically opposed to one another, Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot. Matthew worked for Rome and Simon was a political activist who was radically anti-Rome. Jesus called these two to be on his team and to do his work. That is like calling a Republican and a Democrat to his team. That is like calling someone from “the board” and someone from the “warehouse” to his team. That is like calling the “establishment” and the “anti-establishment” to his team. Why would he do that, call people who do opposite things to his team?

Maybe it is because when he calls them to his team, what they do is not the most important thing. Maybe what they did no longer was the priority but the work which he has set out before them became the priority. Maybe he wanted people to set aside differences and opposing views so that they can work together for a much wider cause than their own. And maybe their identities were not found in what they did but in the fact that Jesus has called them to him to be his disciples.

Thanks for reading.

A large part and reason for my wrestling is that I want all people – gay, lesbian, straight, men, women, etc. – to find themselves in a life-changing experience with Christ so that they see how good, gracious, merciful and loving he is above anything else in this world. I want people to go on the same journey that I am on that has brought some peace and also some understanding of love to me. It is not a perfect journey, mind you, for it has been marked with potholes and pits. But those challenges have helped me to see more clearly how much I am loved by the living God and how much he wants to be involved in my life. I want that experience for all people.

But, I know that to be on that path means transformation and reformation. Going through a process whereby a person changes from one thing to another. To have Christ in my life means I go through a process (no matter how much it hurts) of losing my selfishness, my vain conceit, my greed, my pride so that I may gain selflessness, humility, contentment, and more humility. It means change, and I am still having to go through that change. And yes, it still hurts to change.

What will it mean for a person struggling with or whose very identity is gay or lesbian to follow Christ? Do I feel comfortable talking with this person knowing that to be on a journey with Christ will mean living a life of transformation?

I am still wrestling. Thank you for reading.

The youth group staff and I went to Sacramento last weekend for the National Youth Workers Convention. Of all the speakers that I saw two really stood out, and what they had to share still sticks with me, bothers me, and is still making me think. The first is Tony Campolo who spoke about America’s economy and inevitable collapse. I might write more about him later. The second is Andrew Marin, the founder of the Marin Foundation. His calling is to bridge gaps between the Christian community and those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community (GBLT – sounds like a sandwich). He is also called to bridge the gap between Christians inside the Christian community who are wrestling with the issue of homosexuality.

I honestly do not know what to think about this issue, which is unfortunate because I live in the Bay Area in California where Prop 8 is the hottest issue. Also, I know there are youths and people in my church who may be struggling with their own sexuality but are afraid to speak or to say anything. It is unfortunate that I have not tried to think about this issue more.

People want to know where I stand on this issue or that hot topic. To be honest with you, I am not really sure when it comes to Prop 8 or even homosexuality and what to say to students in my youth group. There are some truths in Scripture that I know to be true, which is challenging because I do not always want them to be true. There are things that Jesus did and said that are counterculture and resets all of the nature of my thinking. Am I being vague enough here?

I guess I will just leave this post with this – look at Andrew Marin’s blog and his foundation. If there is anything to be gained from this post at all it is him.

Thanks for reading.

Having finally finished reading Exodus, the themes within the book began to surface and become lucid. In my last post I was not sure of what to think about the elders of Israel beholding God and eating and drinking afterward. I thought it was an odd juxtaposition to have the Covenant of the Lord confirmed among the people and for the elders to “see” God and then to eat and drink. But as Exodus has ended with Yahweh sitting among the people in the tent of meeting (his presence of cloud and fire), a progression about him is clear to me now.

In the beginning of Exodus, God was silent – we literally do not hear his voice in the first couple of chapters. We only know that he knows the hardship of the Israelites and that retribution was coming for the Egyptians who were responsible for their agony. Then God finally speaks to Moses about a mission he has for him, but God is present only in the form of a burning bush. Moses asked what God’s name was and the answer is vague, “I AM who I AM.” Who is this God? Who is this I AM? Then there is Yahweh’s display of power as plague after plague descends upon Israel’s captors and leaders. Plagues and miracles of extraordinary proportion point to God’s power and lordship over the earth. But still, who is this God? Finally, we have Passover, God’s Spirit weaving through the land of Egypt going from door to door. After that the presence of the cloud and the fire represent God within the camp of the Israelites. Moses throughout all of this gets closer and closer to God, both physically and relationally. The people of Israel experience the presence and the closeness of God progressively until they are at the foot of Mt. Sinai and God’s Covenant, Laws and Tabernacle are given to Israel, and then the presence to the elders. It should come as no surprise then that there is another meal because Yahweh has been drawing closer and closer to Israel; nearer and nearer to a stiff-necked people who from time to time would reject him, doubt him, mock him. But God was revealing who he is in covenant, commandments and dwelling places. God’s intention was to dwell among the people, which is why the construction of the Tabernacle received so many pages in Exodus.

In my own life, I sense God drawing me closer and closer to Him. I get little glimpses of him throughout my day – provision of food, blessing of work, reminders through my wife and my child. In reading his word, his voice becomes louder and his image more pronounced. And he wants to speak into my life, into my heart about what is important to him – me, me following closely with his commands as my guide, me with a sense of appreciation for the work of Christ in my life, me with the knowledge that I am loved and cared for because what God wants to do is to draw near to me, a sometimes stiff-necked, complaining, mocker of God.

The path and the plight of the Israelites is my story and the God that was present in theirs is also present in mine. He wants to be with me; he wants to show me who he is; he wants to set up camp in my life.

Thanks for reading.

I am trying to wrap my mind around the following phrase from Exodus 24:11, to find its significance for my life. It sticks out so much that I cannot get past it and I find myself returning to the phrase, “they beheld God, and ate and drank.” The context here is that Moses, the elders and the rest of Israel have just received the Book of the Covenant and now the elders and Moses are invited to go to the mountain to see God. They accept the invitation, and they witness a remarkable vision of the divine glory. This is such a privilege for the elders because without invitation those who see God would die. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But what keeps me from moving on is the latter half of the phrase – the elders “ate and drank.” They basically had a meal, and I am assuming with God (though I could be wrong). God gives them his rules (the Book of the Covenant), an invitation to see him, and they do see him, and after all of that, a meal. Shouldn’t they have built an altar or had a ceremony or painted a picture to commemorate this unique event? Instead, they ate and they drank. They communed with God. They established and built a relationship with God at the dining table.

So is the writer of Exodus trying to show an aspect of God where he is not all about rules and laws and covenants (though those are important to him)? Is the writer trying to say that Yahweh is very much about relationship and having time to see him, to be in his presence and to enjoy his presence?

Is it time for me to enjoy his divine presence and to not worry so much about rules and “laws”? Is it time for me to simply sit with him and “behold” him, and to eat and to drink with him? How about you?

Thanks for reading.

Last week, I saw an episode of How I Met Your Mother, and in that show the characters were on a quest to find “the World’s Greatest Burger.” So these five protagonists run from burger joint to burger joint in New York City looking for it. Not a native of NYC, I could not give my nomination. But as a resident of California, I can say that “the World’s Greatest Burger” can be found at In-N-Out Burger. If you have never had their burger, and you live in or traveled through California, find one soon and eat one. My nomination will stand justified. It is not fancy. It does not have bacon or onion rings or an egg shoved on top of it. It is a hamburger. It is simple, and more importantly it is good. Furthermore, when you go through the drive-thru or go inside to order, their menu is not cluttered. Their options are clear and their options are easy to understand: a double burger, a hamburger or a cheeseburger. They have fries, they have shakes and they even have combos. But absent from their list are kid’s meals that pander to little kids, no synergisms of movie/toy merchandising, and no gaudy posters. In plain red lettering, on a white background is what they serve consistently.

I love going there because I know what to expect and I know what they have every single time I go there. My wife and I will get our “usuals” when we go there (a cheeseburger combo for me and a cheeseburger combo, hold the onions, for her). We always know what to expect and we know what we will order, and those are reasons for us to go there.

It is a lot like the Old Testament. You know exactly what to expect and you know what is going to be on the “menu.” You know that someone in there is going to walk away from the “umbrella” of Yahweh and at some point trouble will be in his path. You know that the theme or a subtheme will be righteousness or doing what is right according to God’s will. You know that it will involve obedience and/or the land of God’s chosen people. It is as reliable, and as delicious, as In-N-Out.

Thanks for reading.

Our daughter turned 1-year old today! In celebration of her birthday, I dressed her up in Dodger-gear and posed her for a picture with her Dodger Bear. Happy birthday, my beautiful little daughter. Thank you for blessing my life!